Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 974’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Euphorbia  plant named ‘Bonpri 974’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dark green-colored leaves; inflorescences with white-colored flower bracts; and good post-production longevity.

Botanical designation: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BONPRI 974’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euphorbia plant, an interspecific hybrid botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Bonpri 974’.

The new Euphorbia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the program is to create and develop new interspecific Euphorbia plants with compact, upright and mounded plant habit and attractive flower bracts.

The new Euphorbia plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of an unnamed proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra, not patented. The new Euphorbia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the proprietary selection in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia in January, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Euphorbia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia since February, 2012 has shown that the unique features of this new Euphorbia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bonpri 974’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bonpri 974’ as a new and distinct Euphorbia plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Inflorescences with white-colored flower bracts.     -   6. Good post-production longevity.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of the parent selection in flower bract color as plants of the parent selection have off-white-colored flower bracts that are tinged with pink and have pink-colored venation.

Plants of the new Euphorbia can be compared to plants of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 635’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,116. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differed primarily from plants of ‘Bonpri 635’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia were more vigorous than plants of         ‘Bonpri 635’.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia had smaller leaves than plants of         ‘Bonpri 635’.     -   3. Plants of the new Euphorbia had more inflorescences than         plants of ‘Bonpri 635’.     -   4. Plants of the new Euphorbia had larger inflorescences with         larger flower bracts than plants of ‘Bonpri 635’.     -   5. Plants of the new Euphorbia and ‘Bonpri 635’ differ in flower         bract color as plants of ‘Bonpri 635’ have white-colored flower         bracts that are tinged with pink and have red purple-colored         venation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Euphorbia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Euphorbia plant.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Bonpri 974’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Bonpri 974’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used in the aforementioned photographs and herewith described in detail were grown during the autumn in 12-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of commercial Euphorbia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 23° C. and night temperatures averaged 13° C. Plants were four months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fourth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex     Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 974’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of an unnamed     proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex     Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at 18° C. to             25° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at 16° C.             to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at 18° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at 16° C. to 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit and form.—Compact, upright and mounded plant             habit; inverted triangle; inflorescences positioned above             the foliar plane; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 20.7 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 28.3 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Branching habit: Freely             branching habit, about seven lateral branches develop per             plant. Length: About 13.7 cm. Diameter: About 3.8 mm.             Internode length: About 2.5 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright to             outwardly spreading. Strength: Strong. Texture: Sparsely             pubescent. Color: Close to 144A.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 6.2 cm. Width: About 4 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute.             Base: Wedge-shaped. Margin: Shallowly serrate. Venation             pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Texture, upper surface:             Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent.             Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 143A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 143C. Fully             developed leaves, upper surface: Close to N137B; venation,             close to N144D. Fully developed leaves, lower surface: Close             to 137B; venation, close to 145B. Petioles: Length: About             2.4 cm. Diameter: About 1.4 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close             to 144A; towards the base, slightly tinged with close to             199A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound             corymbs of cyathia with numerous flower bracts subtending             the cyathia; inflorescences positioned above the foliar             plane.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About twelve inflorescences             develop per plant.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 15.1 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 2.5 cm.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants typically flower during the             autumn and winter in Japan; inflorescence initiation and             development can also be induced under artificial long             nyctoperiod and short photoperiod conditions; early             flowering habit, plants flower about seven weeks under             natural season conditions in Japan.         -   Post-production longevity.—Good post-production longevity;             plants of the new Euphorbia maintain good substance and             bract color for about six weeks.         -   Flower bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About twelve.             Length, largest bracts: About 8.8 cm. Width, largest bracts:             About 4.5 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Rounded.             Margin: Serrate. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous.             Texture, lower surface: Wrinkled. Aspect: Mostly horizontal.             Venation pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Color: Transitional             bracts, upper surface: Close to 155C and 137B. Transitional             bracts, lower surface: Close to 155B and 138B. Developing             bracts, upper surface: Close to 155B. Developing bracts,             lower surface: Close to 155C. Fully expanded bracts, upper             surface: Close to 155C; venation, close to N144D. Fully             expanded bracts, lower surface: Close to 155C; venation,             close to 145C. Flower bract petioles: Length: About 1.4 cm.             Diameter: About 1.4 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to             N144D.         -   Cyathia.—Quantity per corymb: About twelve. Diameter of             cyathia cluster: About 1.9 cm. Height, individual cyathium:             About 8.1 mm. Diameter, individual cyathium: About 4.4 mm.             Shape, individual cyathium: Globose; sessile. Color: Close             to 143A. Nectaries: Quantity per cyathium: One. Size: About             1.5 mm by 2.3 mm. Color: Close to 145C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2.3 mm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color: Close to 144B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per cyathium:             Numerous. Anther shape: Lanceolate or globose. Anther             length: About 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. Anther color: Close to 154B.             Amount of pollen: None observed. Pistils: Plants of the new             Euphorbia have not been observed to develop pistils. Seeds             and fruits: Seed and fruit production has not been observed             on plants of the new Euphorbia. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Euphorbia     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 8° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 974’ as illustrated and described. 